Chapter 19: The Conflict Etched in Memory

After finishing the makeup, Avril became more and more pleased with her work the longer she looked at it, while Lin Fei wore a blank expression, having no idea what he actually looked like.

Peeking into the rearview mirror, Lin Fei smiled gently as he realized that even with such a styling, he didn't look too bad.

Hilton? Whatever.

Let's just pick somewhere with a bit of local flavor. After all, they needed a place where people would hardly recognize them.

A street-side diner. Basically equivalent to a Chinese street food joint.

Avril made funny faces and playful gestures to tease Lin Fei, while Lin Fei behaved just like a shy, grown-up boy.

"Would you like a glass of beer?" Avril asked Lin Fei.

"Hehe, I can have a little, though I'm not really used to it."

"You really are an anomaly among all the players."

"Hehe, definitely! No one plays basketball quite like I do." In truth, Lin Fei understood what Avril meant, but he deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Hehe, I mean your behavioral habits! Players generally lead pretty open lives, and many of them are especially fond of marijuana, bars, and beautiful women, but none of that really interests you. On top of that, you rarely invite friends over for parties. Aside from often hanging out with Cairns, you're hardly ever seen at banquets or things like that." Avril listed Lin Fei's peculiar traits all in one breath, acting purely like a child. As she spoke, she pursed her lips and blinked. Despite her heavy makeup, she possessed a distinctly endearing charm.

"Hehe, do you drink alcohol?"

"I am frequently invited as a guest of honor to aristocratic gatherings, and sometimes I'm forced to attend numerous commercial events. I feel like no one has more parties than I do. Naturally, I know how to drink—especially champagne. I've practically tasted the finest champagne wines in the world and could almost qualify as a professional sommelier." Avril spoke with exceptional pride.

Without realizing it, the little chuckle "Hehe" had become the most frequent shared language between the two—a sincere expression welling up straight from the heart.

Upon arriving at the street-side diner, the atmosphere inside was extremely lively, bordering on chaotic. It was a mixed crowd where practically all sorts of people could be found.

Lin Fei initially wanted to ask Avril to drive away, but Avril seemed extraordinarily interested in the place.

"Let's go with this one! I love experiencing the vibe of these people!" With that, Avril had already stepped out of the car. Acting naturally as her protector, Lin Fei immediately followed her inside.

As they entered the diner, Avril's luxurious and elegant aura instantly drew the gazes of all the men in the room, as if they had just laid eyes on a celestial beauty. It truly proved the saying that a real beauty cannot be hidden, no matter how hard one tries.

Judging by the way people looked at them, however, it was clear that neither of these two public figures had been recognized.

The two went to the counter to order a glass of beer first, then found a table and sat down.

Just as they sat down and Lin Fei was about to strike up a conversation, a black man not far away approached, fixing his gaze straight on their table. Lin Fei felt a sense of foreboding.

The man looked sturdy, at least six-foot-one, quite fashionable, and was a typical American youth.

"Hey, babe! Your ass looks really sexy!" the man remarked.

Lin Fei was instantly stunned. He hadn't been in America for a short time, but this was his first time encountering such a situation.

"Get lost, you ugly freak!" Avril looked thoroughly disgusted.

Apparently, no one had recognized them yet.

"Hey, buddy! Watch your mouth." Lin Fei looked at the black man.

The black man cast a disdainful glance at Lin Fei, seemingly paying him no mind at all.

"Oh, my little cutie! I'd love to know what it feels like to spend the night with you tonight!" With that, the black man flashed a lewd smile.

Unable to contain her anger any longer, Avril picked up the glass of beer that had just been served and splashed it directly into the man's face.

Seeing Avril fly into a rage, Lin Fei sprang to his feet almost simultaneously, noticing that the black man's expression had already turned vicious the moment the liquid was about to hit his face.

The black man wiped the beer from his face. By this time, everyone in the diner was looking over, and the man's two friends had also rushed over. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Fei gave the man a hard shove to clear a path for Avril, urging her to run fast.

Avril was obviously prepared; Lin Fei grabbed her hand and bolted anxiously toward the exit without even paying the bill—though the diner owner was already panicking by then.

Having been forcefully shoved by Lin Fei, the black man had stumbled backward three or four meters and crashed directly into another table, landing squarely on a seat. Still, that brief delay gave Lin Fei enough time to pull Avril quite a distance away. As they reached the door, Lin Fei figured Avril might still need to get the car, so he decided to tangle with them for a moment to buy her some time, just in case their identities were exposed, which could lead to severe consequences. Releasing Avril's hand, Lin Fei said, "Go get the car," and turned right back around, facing the black man and his two accomplices head-on.

With the corners of his mouth upturned slightly, Lin Fei looked thoroughly fierce at that moment.

The three black men, however, didn't waste any words and rushed straight at Lin Fei. Seeing three opponents, Lin Fei instinctively grabbed a nearby stool and hurled it at them. The three dodged it, but before they could recover, Lin Fei swung a second stool and smashed it toward them. They took a step back, never expecting this slender, yellow-skinned young man to be so ferocious and aggressive. In truth, Lin Fei's personality was inherently aggressive—it was how he played basketball, always pressing the attack without limit, and it was how he fought as well.

The first of the three men was heavily struck by Lin Fei's stool, while the other two backed off. The first man had instinctively used his arm to block Lin Fei's wooden seat. Right after the first strike, Lin Fei followed up with another blow, but the man had wised up and retreated directly. After a few such rounds, Lin Fei figured it was enough. He threw the stool in his hand directly at them, and all three dodged once again. The moment he released the stool, Lin Fei bolted toward the door at full speed. Dodging the stool and looking up to see Lin Fei running out of the shop, the three men hastily gave chase.

Just then, Avril drove the car right up to the front. Lin Fei leaped straight into the vehicle. Avril flashed a goodbye wave at the black men and sped away on her own.

Inside the car, Avril burst into loud laughter. She was clearly more than satisfied with Lin Fei's performance.

"Oh! You were amazing! I thought you were just a gentleman outside the basketball court, but I never expected you to have a side like that!" Her words were a clear compliment to Lin Fei.

"Hehe!" Catching his breath, Lin Fei said, "Actually, I didn't know I could run that fast either." From Lin Fei's tone, one could sense that there was still a lingering trace of apprehension in his heart. After all, he was in a foreign land, and he likely represented the entire image of the Warriors franchise, as well as the image of China as a whole behind the scenes. Many people had told him that Yao Ming was his role model; while Lin Fei wasn't quite like Yao Ming, he was at least a representative of Chinese players, especially after joining the national team, where he served as an embodiment of China's image.

"This is my first time running into something like this!" Avril said. "I never expected that with you by my side, things would turn out like this. I'll remember it for the rest of my life!" Indeed, as a woman of aristocratic status who rarely ventured into such places, having an experience like this would undoubtedly leave an indelible impression.

Lin Fei was somewhat distracted and didn't catch much of what Avril was saying. He was worried whether anyone might have recognized them; an incident like this could easily lead to a suspension and fine, or even jeopardize his professional career. He thought of Gilbert Arenas back in the day, who, following the gun-in-locker-room incident, became the laughingstock of the league and the quintessential example of high salary and low production. Although he had been suspended before, that had happened on the court, where the context was understood. A situation like today's could easily result in arrest or, at the very least, a messy lawsuit. In America, such troubles were a massive headache, and Lin Fei could only pray that nothing would come of it.

Noticing Lin Fei was somewhat absent-minded while driving, Avril loudly remarked that her makeup skills must have been so good that no one recognized her, otherwise those men would surely not have acted that way toward them.

Lin Fei merely offered a faint smile, seemingly having nothing to say to that.

Suddenly, Avril quieted down as well.

"Are you planning to go home tonight?" Avril asked out of the blue.

Lin Fei was momentarily stunned. He understood what she meant, but he didn't know how best to answer. After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Fei finally spoke, "Oh! I'm planning to practice basketball tomorrow morning!"

Avril gave a gentle, bitter-sweet smile and said, "I'll drive you back then."

The whole way back, Lin Fei's heart pounded wildly.

To calm himself down, he forced his thoughts toward the game the next day. They were scheduled to face the Chicago Bulls, and he would have to battle Derrick Rose head-on once again—a showdown between two MVP-caliber players and two rising superstars of the new generation.